Wednesday 29 May 2013 12.31 EDT
First published on Wednesday 29 May 2013 12.31 EDT

Wrestling, squash and baseball/softball have all been shortlisted for inclusion at the 2020 Olympics following a vote by the International Olympic Committee's executive board in Russia.

The final decision on which event will be part of the 2020 Games, in either Toyko, Istanbul or Madrid, will be made at the IOC's 125th session in Buenos Aires in September, but the list of eight potential sports has been reduced to three with karate, wakeboarding, roller sports, climbing and wushu all omitted.

Wrestling was controversially dropped from the IOC's core programme for 2020 in February but that decision has been met with fierce objection as the sport is regarded as a traditional Olympic discipline. Squash has never been included at the Games, despite two previous attempts for inclusion, while baseball/softball have united following previous separate bids.

The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, said: "The executive board received excellent presentations today [Wednesday] from eight international federations. It was never going to be an easy decision but I feel my colleagues on the board made a good decision in selecting baseball/softball, squash and wrestling to be put forward in Buenos Aires. I wish the three shortlisted sports the best of luck in the run-up to the vote in September and would like to thank the other sports for their hard work and dedication."

Only one sport will be added to the 2020 roster in September, when the IOC will also vote on the location. However, the inclusion of wrestling represents a shift in stance from the IOC. Nenad Lalovic, the new president of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, said: "While our place in the Olympic Games is still not guaranteed, this decision recognises the great lengths to which we are going to reform our sport and address the IOC's concerns.

"We recognise that there is still a long road ahead but we will continue to work to preserve our place in the Olympic Games."

Alex Gough, the chief executive of the Professional Squash Association, said: "It is all about changing the programme and putting in new sports, so it's an interesting turn of events having wrestling come out and then to go back in. We've just got to carry on our campaign and hopefully we come out on top."

All sports gave a 20-minute presentation to the IOC executive board following a question and answer session, but only one will join rugby sevens, golf and the 25 other core sports in 2020.